Chick-fil-A this week announced a $10.8 million COVID-19 relief effort with the goal of having “an immediate impact on the needs of local communities.”

The $10.8 million will be distributed to local communities through Chick-fil-A’s network of 1,800-plus independent restaurants. The goal, Chick-fil-A said, is to help local restaurants serve their communities.

“Striving to be a supportive, caring and generous neighbor is in our DNA. Our restaurant Operators give back locally in so many ways, and this time is no exception,” said Chick-fil-A Chairman and CEO Dan Cathy.

The funds will be available through June and used for efforts such as food donations to first responders, health care workers and the families of Chick-fil-A workers.

Chick-fil-A also said that:

• More than 320,000 free meals have been served through the Chick-fil-A Shared Table program since the beginning of March. The program involves surplus food donations by restaurants.
• More than 5,000 meals have been donated to “school systems, health care workers and others on the front lines” in Atlanta, Ga., the company’s hometown.
• Chick-fil-A’s supply chain has donated 7,715 cases “of fresh produce to Feeding America.”

“I’m humbled by the incredible care our restaurant teams have shown – from offering free meals to health care workers to feeding school children in need to writing notes of encouragement…

A federal judge decided this week that Kansas churches may hold worship services despite an executive order prohibiting gatherings of more than 10 people.

U.S. District Court Judge John W. Broomes of the District of Kansas issued an order on Saturday approving a temporary exception to the order, The Christian Post reports.

The decision came after Pastor Stephen Ormord of First Baptist Church of Dodge City and Pastor Aaron Harris of Calvary Baptist Church of Junction City filed a complaint against the executive order.

Broomes said in his ruling that churches were “likely to prevail on” the claim that prohibiting in-person services violated their religious freedom.

“Plaintiffs have made a substantial showing that development of the current restriction on religious activities shows religious activities were specifically targeted for more onerous restrictions than comparable secular activities,” he said.

The churches are now hoping to request an injunction to the order. A hearing is scheduled for Thursday.

The week before Easter Sunday, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly approved an executive order issued an executive order banning gatherings of over 10 people, including religious services.

“As Holy Week gets underway — and with Kansas rapidly approaching its projected ‘peak’ infection rate in the coming weeks — the risk for a spike in COVID-19 cases…

White evangelicals are the most likely subgroup to say it is at least somewhat important to have a president who lives a moral life, while black Protestants are the most likely to say it is “very important,” according to a new Pew Research Center survey.

White evangelicals and black Protestants are also among the most likely to say it’s important to have a president who “stands up for people with your religious beliefs.”

The survey was conducted in February among 6,395 U.S. adults and highlighted April 16 in a Pew Fact Tank analysis. 

“The character of the person who occupies the Oval Office matters to the vast majority of Americans,” Pew’s Jeff Diamant wrote. “Across party lines and religious groups, roughly nine-in-ten or more say it is either somewhat or very important to have a president who lives a moral, ethical life.”

All total, 94 percent of U.S. adults say it is important to have a president who “lives a moral, ethical life,” with 63 percent saying it’s very important and 31 percent somewhat important. That’s in line with white evangelicals (97 percent – 63 very/34 somewhat), Catholics (93 percent – 62 very/31 somewhat) and Jewish Americans (91 percent – 66 very/25 somewhat. A total of 93 percent of black Protestant church members say it is important, with 73 percent – the highest in the survey on this question – saying…

President Donald Trump, in a late-night tweet Monday, announced another step his administration is taking to battle the coronavirus pandemic and protect jobs: a temporary immigration ban into the United States.

“In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!” the president tweeted.

In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 21, 2020

Trump did not include any specifics in the tweet and by mid-morning today the White House had offered no further details on his plan. Politico reported officials at the Department of Homeland Security are drawing up the executive order but one idea being floated is an exemption for temporary guest workers, including those who work on farms.

A top DHS official told the news outlet the order is in response to “22 million unemployed Americans and counting due to COVID-19.”

U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Arizona, supported the move, tweeting “Thank you, @realDonaldTrump! All immigration to the United States should halt until every American who wants a job has one!”

Thank you, @realDonaldTrump! All…

This is a two-part series by Religion News Service exploring how the solitude that many people are experiencing as they isolate during the coronavirus pandemic is interacting with their faith. 

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — During his solitary morning Mass at Domus Sanctae Marthae, Pope Francis’ prayers are often for the elderly. This is not an accident, as the coronavirus pandemic has pushed this normally isolated demographic into further isolation.

“We pray today for the elderly, especially those who are isolated or in retirement homes,” Francis said in his livestreamed homily April 15. “They are afraid, afraid of dying alone. They experience this pandemic as something aggressive against them.”

For those trapped at home during quarantine, the internet has been a window to the outside, allowing them to stay in touch with friends, loved ones, book groups and houses of worship. Video meeting apps, such as Skype and Zoom, have witnessed a boom in users since the beginning of the outbreak.

Many elderly, who are less nimble with modern means of communication, are particularly at risk of feeling alone, says Thuy-vy Nguyen, an assistant professor of psychology at England’s Durham University.

“Generally, the elderly are pretty OK with having a lot of time alone,” Nguyen explained in a recent interview with Religion News Service. “What impacts them more is the perception that they…

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his political rival, Benny Gantz, have agreed to a historic power-sharing agreement which brings to an end a drawn-out season of electoral deadlock.

Under the terms of the unity agreement, which was finalized on Monday night, Netanyahu will take office as prime minister for a year and a half before Gantz takes the reins in October 2021.

According to the Times of Israel, the agreement will divide the government term into two parts: a six-month “emergency period” to prime the government for its fight against COVID-19, followed by a longer “unity period.”

With three elections held in the space of less than a year, Israel has been floundering in a state of political paralysis. In April 2019, citizens were marginally in favor of Netanyahu’s “Likud” party, with the incumbent Prime Minister receiving just 15,000 more votes than his rival. With Netanayahu unable to form a majority government, a follow-up election in September 2019 saw Gantz’s centrist “Blue and White” party win by 38,000 votes. Gantz was also unable to form a government.

So, a third election was called for March 2, 2020, resulting in another slim victory for Netanyahu. Again, neither men were able to come to an agreement on the formation of a new government in the Knesset.

With both politicians being called upon to avoid a fourth election as the country battles…